Muscat: Oman’s national teams are set to begin their campaigns at the 6th Asian Beach Games – Sanya 2026, with beach handball opening its matches today, Tuesday, while beach soccer and athletics teams continue their preparations for upcoming competitions.
The Oman national beach handball team begins its journey today (Tuesday) with two matches, facing Mongolia at 1:00 pm, followed by a second encounter against Qatar at 4:00 pm (Muscat time).
The team has undergone an intensive preparation programme, including friendly matches against participating Asian sides and focused training sessions aimed at raising both physical and technical readiness.
Oman will continue its group-stage fixtures against Thailand on Thursday, Maldives on Friday, Bangladesh on Sunday morning, and Jordan later the same day, before concluding the preliminary round against Pakistan on Monday.
Coached by Hamoud bin Salim al Hasani, the team enters a highly competitive group where only two teams advance. The coach emphasised that preparation focused on balanced physical conditioning and tactical work, noting that beach handball matches are often decided by fine margins due to their short duration.
Meanwhile, the Oman national beach soccer team continues its training camp ahead of its group-stage match against Palestine on Thursday at 5:00 pm, followed by a clash against hosts China on Saturday.
Under the guidance of coach Talib bin Hilal al Thanawi, preparations have focused on tactical and technical aspects, with ambitions to replicate Oman’s historic title-winning achievement in the inaugural 2008 edition in Bali.
In athletics, the Oman national team has arrived in Sanya to begin preparations for competitions scheduled from April 23 to 26 at Phoenix Island. The events include the 60m sprint, high jump, long jump, and relay races.
Chairman of the Oman Athletics Association, Said bin Mohammed al Hajri, highlighted that the participation represents an important step in developing athletes’ capabilities in sand-based events. He noted that preparations were conducted in coastal areas such as Seeb and Al Musannah to simulate competition conditions, with a focus on explosive power and balance.
The Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games will feature 1,790 athletes from 45 Asian countries competing in 14 sports. Oman is participating in five sports and has previously secured 17 medals in the history of the Games, including six gold medals.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
